The Coalition for Older Roadway User Safety(CORUS) is endorsing H.R. 3536, the Safe Roads for America Act, and applauding its bipartisan introduction in the House of Representatives by Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Lou Barletta (R-Pa.).

CORUS, which is comprised of AARP, American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), American Highway Users Alliance, Easter Seals, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), and Transportation for America, is focused on making America’s roads safer for older drivers and pedestrians.

“As our population ages, we need to make our road signs more readable at night,” Johnson said in a press release from ATSSA. “Someone 60 years old needs 10 times the amount of light to see at night as someone who is 19, according to AAA, formerly known as the American Automobile Association. Safe Roads helps make our roads safer by ensuring seniors and everyone can see roads signs more clearly at night.”

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, it is estimated that by 2030, 25 percent of American drivers will be 65 or older. Brighter signs with higher levels of retroreflectivity will help both older drivers and drivers of all ages better navigate and drive more safely. This will in turn help reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries nationwide.

ATSSA’s Chairman Joe Jeffrey noted, “Reps. Johnson and Barletta’s leadership on this vital legislation will help to continue the reduction of roadway fatalities and serious injuries nationwide.”

The Safe Roads for America Act extends current sign upgrade deadlines and allows for a more streamlined existing source of federal funding to assist state and local governments meet these critical safety needs, according to an ATSSA written statement.